


The Question on His Lips

by LilacNoctua



Series: Worthwhile [5]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awkward Romance, Background shikatema, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Over Protective Temari, Romance, nosy ninjas strike again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:41:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25362562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilacNoctua/pseuds/LilacNoctua
Summary: "Here you are, walking around a foreign ninja village with just that tiny gourd and no armour, and you think I could doubt that you are in love with me?Gaara smiled up at him, that rare, true, unguarded smile, and Lee found himself starting to lean in towards him, drawn towards that smile like a moth to a candle flame."I am," Gaara whispered, tilting his face up towards Lee’s.A high-level shinobi must be a master of many skills. . . Romance is not one of them.
Relationships: Gaara/Rock Lee
Series: Worthwhile [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1729480
Comments: 51
Kudos: 186





	1. True Romance is a Team Effort

**Author's Note:**

> This is meant to take place a few weeks after the events of [_Sunrise Glow_](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25206139/), and makes a few references to events from other stories in this series. However, it will still make sense if read on its own.

“Oh, what about these?” Lee cried, pausing beside a display of flowers. “So many colours!”

“No,” Ino insisted impatiently. “Sweet peas are more appropriate as a parting gift. You’re going to give him flowers at the beginning of the evening. The point is to establish your intentions.”

“Okay, how about this one?” Lee pointed to another display of flowers.

“Hmm, primroses do symbolize youth and young love, so I guess they suit you, but I’ve never thought they were very romantic looking.” Ino shrugged and slumped against the counter. They had looked at every flower in the shop at least twice by now and still couldn’t decide.

“Ino, let us try something!” Lee suggested. “Pretend you have never seen me before in your life.”

He dashed out the door of the shop, the bell clanging loudly behind him, then turned around and came back in again.

“Good afternoon, young lady,” he boomed in a voice that sounded disturbingly like Gai. “I have a date and I would like to buy some flowers, please. What do you recommend?”

“Well,” Ino replied in her most chipper customer service voice. “How long have you been seeing your sweetheart?”

“This will be the first date!” Lee gushed, returning to his normal voice.

“For first dates, I usually recommend camellias, carnations or tulips,” Ino told him. “They’re all romantic classics.”

“Great!” Lee cried. “I’ll take all of those!”

Ino began collecting a bouquet of flowers in white and soft pinks. Lee considered it for a few moments and then frowned.

“But Ino, Gaara likes red. I need red flowers.”

“All of the red ones mean things that are kind of intense, Lee,” Ino warned.

Lee blinked at her owlishly.

“Then again, I suppose you’re a little intense,” Ino muttered. “Fine, red it is then.”

She began wandering the shop again, adding to a steadily growing armful of flower samples.

“Red carnations for a deep love, red chrysanthemums say love as well, red roses, again for love, but also passion and romance.”

“That is perfect!” Lee interrupted.

“Roses? Really? You want to give poor Gaara red roses on a first date? That’s coming on really strong,” Ino warned.

The door to the shop burst open and Sakura dashed in with Hinata on her heels. 

“I’ve got a reply!” She shouted, waving a thin strip of curled paper.

“What does it say?” Ino and Lee both shouted.

Sakura handed the slip to Lee who read out the single sentence, “ _ Nothing could possibly make me happier.” _

“We’ve got a ‘Yes!’” Ino shrieked, jumping up and down, as Lee clutched the slip of paper against his chest.

“As if it would have been anything else,” Sakura laughed. “This was tucked inside of another message that he sent to the Hokage. They’ll be back here in exactly three weeks, and they’re only staying for one night.”

“Do you think we can get him ready in three weeks? He’s a bit of a hopeless case.” Ino turned to Sakura and Hinata, suddenly serious.

“I think he’ll be fine.” Hinata smiled encouragingly at Lee. 

Sakura was examining the flowers Ino had been collecting. “These a bit much for a first date, don’t you think?”

“That’s what I said,” Ino whined. “But he insisted that Gaara needs red!”

“I mean, I guess he’s jumped the gun already. What harm could it really do?” Sakura said.

“I have an idea,” Hinata offered shyly. “Instead of a bouquet, give him a single red rose. It’s still romantic, but it’s not overwhelming.”

“Hinata,” Ino gasped. “That is  _ brilliant _ ! Why didn’t I think of that?”

“I got the idea from a romance novel,” Hinata admitted, blushing. 

“Here!” Ino grabbed a single red rose and unspooled a green silk ribbon from behind the counter, she tied it in a bow halfway down the stem, like extra leaves. “Red for Gaara, green for Lee.” She offered the flower to Lee, who accepted it, beaming.

“It’s perfect,” Sakura agreed. “Now, you’ll need to practice giving it to him. But I think Sai will help you with that.”

“Stop by the shop on your way to pick him up on the big night. I’ll have one ready to go,” Ino told him.

* * * * *

Sai had invaded Lee’s apartment and set up camp on the sofa behind a mountain of etiquette manuals and treatises on social behaviour that had completely buried the coffee table.

“No, no, start over at the beginning,” Sai insisted. “You’re going to knock on the door, Gaara will answer it and then what?”

“I will give him a giant hug and tell him how much I have missed him!” Lee shouted.

“No!” Sai rapped Lee’s knuckles with the spine of a book. “No! Absolutely not!”

Lee groaned in frustration. “But Sai, I have just thought of something. What if Temari or Kankuro answers the door?”

“Then you say ‘good evening,’ ask after their health, and then tell them you’re there to pick up Gaara,” Sai explained. He gestured impatiently at a page in his book. “It says so right here!” 

“But this says that is how you should greet a lady’s parents!” Lee protested.

Sai grabbed Lee by the shoulders and shook him, “Listen Bushy Brow, I’ve looked through every book in this village! There is nothing anywhere on how to date the Kazekage or what to say to his overprotective older siblings. I’m doing my best here!”

“Yes, and we all appreciate it,” Tenten piped up from the table where she was leafing through the reviews section of a culinary magazine. She shot Lee a warning look. “Please continue.”

“Now, Gaara is going to come to the door, and you are going to give him the flower and tell him that he looks beautiful,” Sai instructed. 

“Yes!” Lee agreed. “I can do that!”

“Are you really that good at lying?” Sai asked skeptically.

“Lying?” Lee repeated.

“Telling Gaara that he looks beautiful,” Sai explained. “That will be a lie.”

Lee gasped in shock and leapt off the sofa. “It is not! Take that back!”

“Should we schedule you an appointment to get your eyes checked?” Sai asked, alarmed. Lee dove at Sai and the sofa tipped over backwards.

“KNOCK IT OFF!” Sakura shrieked, storming over from the far side of the room where she and Hinata had been sticking pins in a map of the village. She dragged the two boys apart by their hair and set them back on their feet. 

“Ow! What did I do?” Sai whined. 

“You insulted Gaara,” Hinata explained. “If Lee likes the way Gaara looks, you shouldn’t say bad things about him.”

“Are you going to behave yourselves now?” Sakura growled at them. She let go of their hair. “Neji, how are you getting along?”

Neji stuck his head out of the closet, despair etched across his face. 

“Hopeless, absolutely hopeless,” he informed them. “There is nothing in here that is even remotely suitable for him to wear, even though half of these clothes belong to Tenten and I. Lee, what is the matter with you?”

“I only need two types of clothing,” Lee protested. “Training clothes and pajamas.”

“I sense a shopping trip coming on!” Ino sang, sticking her head out of the closet as well. “Really Lee, this is just sad.”

“He’s got nothing?” Sakura asked incredulously.

“The only formal suit he has is for funerals,” Neji said dejectedly.

“I could borrow something of yours,” Lee suggested.

“No, Lee,” Neji insisted. “If you’re going to start dating the Kazekage, of all people, you really should have some nice clothes of your own. We’re going shopping.”

“Yeah!” Ino cheered.

* * * * *

Neji insisted that they needed to visit a neighbouring town for better stores, and the excuse for a day out of the village was seized with enthusiasm. Even Naruto turned up at the last minute.

“So Bushy Brow, when's the big date?” He asked, nudging Lee conspiratorially.

“In two weeks, when Gaara comes back.”

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks. “You don’t mean to tell me you’re dating Temari?” He yelped. “How could you do that to Shikamaru?”

“I am not dating Temari.” Lee shuddered at the idea. 

“Oh, so one of those other Suna girls then, huh? Hey, you know what, I think Gaara must have a secret girlfriend in Konoha, he’s been visiting an awful lot. You guys could make it a double date.”

“His date is with Gaara, you moron!” Sakura snapped, whacking Naruto across the back of his head with her purse.

“Ow! Sakura! That hurt!” Naruto cried. “Wait,  _ what _ did you say?”

“She said that my date is with Gaara,” Lee repeated.

“Uh, what?” Naruto went a bit cross eyed.

“Lee is going on a date with Gaara. Gaara is dating Lee. Lee asked Gaara out and he said yes, so they’re going on a date,” Tenten explained.

“What the hell, Bushy Brow?! Since when?” Naruto cried. 

“You are so stupid that it causes me actual physical pain,” Ino groaned.

“Even I knew about this,” Sai boasted.

“Guys, be nice,” Hinata whispered and was ignored. 

By the end of the day, Lee was certain he had tried on at least a thousand different outfits. No two of his friends could agree on what he was supposed to wear. Neji was insisting on a suit and tie, but Tenten thought he would look overdressed in the restaurant she had chosen, and Hinata worried that he would be too warm. Sai and Ino kept referring to everyone else’s choices as prudish and boring, while Sakura insisted that all of Ino’s choices were tacky. Naruto had made a game of finding the most outlandish outfits he could and forcing Lee to try them on. After a few hours of this, Neji looked like he was on the brink of crying with frustration.

“There,” he said finally, tugging on the ends of his hair and casting a critical eye over Lee’s new outfit. “That’s good. Can everyone,  _ please _ , agree that this is good?”

“I think we’ve finally done it,” Sakura announced, looking Lee over.

Neji had forced him into a pair of tailored trousers and a soft, sage green shirt.

“All you need now is a tie,” Neji said happily.

“No!” Lee protested. “Please do not make me!”

“You will look far too casual without one,” Neji insisted.

“Wait! I’ve got it!” Tenten grabbed a silk scarf from a display and tied it around Lee’s neck underneath the collar of the shirt.

“Yes, that will do.” Neji sighed in relief. 

“Does that mean we can get dinner now?” Naruto shouted.

“Yes, finally we can eat.” Neji agreed. “This wouldn’t have taken so long if you had all just listened to me in the first place.”

“Wait,” Ino cried. “He can’t go with his hands all taped up like that!”

Lee winced and hid his hands behind his back. “Gaara cannot see my hands! Not on the first date!”

“Why on earth not?” Ino demanded.

“No, it’s true,” Sakura said thoughtfully, flexing her own gloved hands. “Taijutsu training has made a real mess of Lee’s hands. You don’t want to have to explain your scars on a first date.”

“Thank you, Sakura,” Lee breathed.

“He can wear gloves then,” Neji cut in impatiently. “We’re finished here.”

On the way home, a thought struck Lee. “Have any of you ever actually been on a date?”

“Plenty of times,” Ino bragged, flipping her ponytail over her shoulder.

Tenten glanced at Neji then looked away awkwardly. “Once.”

Neji tugged on the ends of his hair again, avoiding Tenten’s eye and said, “I think for shinobi, and especially ones from the more historic clans, it can be . . . difficult to do this properly.”

“That’s why we wanted to help you,” Sakura added. “So things don’t get complicated.”

* * * * *

Lee was half dressed, brushing his teeth vigorously and trying not to wince everytime Neji’s comb grated against the back of his neck.

“I swear, Lee,” Neji threatened. “If you don’t hold still - “

“Lee!” Sai burst through the bathroom door looking panicked. “We forgot about something important!”

“What!” Lee shouted, spraying toothpaste foam across the mirror.

“Kissing!” Sai exclaimed. Lee choked and had to spit the toothpaste out hastily and wash the foam off his face. Neji swore ferociously as Lee’s hair flopped across his damp forehead.

“Kissing?” Lee repeated hoarsely.

“Yes, we never talked about it, but it’s all here in the last chapter. If you go on a date and you have a good time, you  _ have _ to kiss at the end. But not too much or you’ll seem overeager. And not too little or it will seem like you’re not interested. And you can’t do it at the wrong time and you have to make sure your breath is nice and your lips aren’t chapped and whatever you do, don’t slobber.” Sai instructed.

Neji rolled his eyes, “You’re going to make him anxious, Sai. Lee, you don’t actually have to, but at the end of the evening, if you want to kiss Gaara, just ask him. If he’s ready, he’ll say yes, if not, don’t worry about it. It’s as simple as that.”

“That’s not what this book says,” Sai insisted. 

“Sai, get out of this bathroom right now, or I’m going to take that book and -” 

“Okay, bye Neji! Good luck, Lee!” Sai beat a hasty retreat. 

“There aren’t actually rules for this kind of thing,” Neji said. “Only one rule actually, and that’s ask first.”

“Ask first, got it,” Lee repeated, trying to breathe deeply. He had spent a lot of time daydreaming about kissing Gaara, but hadn’t dared to hope that tonight it might actually happen. Now it was all he could think about.

“And if he asks you, don’t feel like you have to say yes if you don’t want to,” Neji added.

Lee laughed nervously. “I do not think I could say no if my life depended on it.”

Neji nodded thoughtfully. “You know, I’ve never seen you be this careful with anything. I knew you really cared about Gaara, but. . .”

“Lee!” Sakura called from outside the door. “It’s time! You have to go!”

Lee hurried through the doors of the flower shop as Ino was cleaning up for the end of the day.

“Here he is!” Ino cried. “I’ve got your rose right here!” She handed Lee a single, perfectly formed blossom, its thorns carefully pared away and a green ribbon tied around the stem.

“I’ve done you another favour too,” she told him. “I’ve convinced Shikamaru to make sure Temari leaves before you show up. One less overprotective sibling for you to have to deal with.”

“Thank you!” Lee cried, reaching over the counter to hug Ino impulsively. “Wish me luck!” 

* * * * *

Gaara yanked open the hotel room door and glared. 

“What do you want?” he demanded.

Shikamaru took two steps back and barely managed not to scream. He found his girlfriend’s brother unsettling at the best of times, but now he had slathered his face in a mask of green mud that covered everything except the dark rings around his eyes, making him look like some nightmarish swamp creature. His damp hair was held back haphazardly by brightly coloured plastic clips, and he was wearing a floral dressing gown that Shikamaru knew for a fact belonged to Temari.

“Lord Kazekage,” Shikamaru said faintly. “Are you, um, okay?”

Gaara turned on his heel and slammed the door. 

“Gaara! Don't be rude to Shikamaru!” Shikamaru heard Temari’s scolding voice draw closer. “How will you like it if I treat Lee like that when he shows up, hmm?”

She wrenched the door open again and let Shikamaru inside. He hid a smile; as much as he thought a Temari vs. Lee showdown would be more entertaining than the movie he had planned, he had cut a deal with Ino. He had to get Temari out of here.

“Relax, Gaara,” he drawled. “I don’t know who’s more nervous really. Lee or, you know, the entire village.”

Whatever colour was visible in Gaara’s face under the mask drained away. “The whole village?”

“It’s all Ino has been able to talk about for the past month,” Shikamaru complained. “It’s been a real drag.”

“What do you mean?” Temari asked sharply.

“I mean that for a bunch of active duty shinobi, our friends sure have found a lot of time to meddle in Lee’s life. Poor guy. They’ve all been trying to give him advice at once.” Shikamaru chuckled.

“What kind of advice?” Temari demanded.

“You know, where to go for dinner, what to wear, correct social etiquette, that kind of thing.” He shrugged.

“Correct social etiquette,” Temari echoed. “Good, he needs that.”

“Well, it was Sai teaching him, so don’t get your hopes up. It’s probably made him even weirder than he was before.” He gestured towards the door. “Anyways, let’s get going, shall we?”

“I’m waiting til this kid gets here,” Temari insisted. “I’ve got to make sure he behaves himself properly.”

“Temari,” Gaara growled. “Why do you always have to -”

“Oh look at that!” Kankuro interrupted loudly. “Time to wash your face!” He hurried Gaara into the bathroom shooting a pleading look over his shoulder at Temari. They had already had one fight about Gaara’s decision to leave the full sized sand gourd behind and carry only a much smaller one on his belt, and Kankuro was trying desperately to prevent another spat.

“Come on,” Shikamaru coaxed, once the bathroom door was closed. “The movie will start soon.”

Temari hesitated. “He’s my little brother, Shikamaru. I have to make sure he’s okay.”

“He’ll be fine,” Shikamaru said soothingly. “You know that Lee’s a good guy, just a little odd. Besides, we both know that Gaara can kick Lee’s ass if he has to.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” Temari told him. “I know that he  _ can _ kick Lee’s ass, but I’m worried that he wouldn’t. I’ve seen the way Lee charges recklessly into battles, and training, and eating contests, and well, everything else he does. If that’s how he approaches relationships this will end in disaster. Gaara’s been happier than ever, more stable than ever, but he’s still taking things one step at a time. I can’t allow all that to be thrown away on account of Rock Lee.”

Shikamaru nodded. “Don’t you think though, that he’s happier and more stable at least partly because of the time he spends with Lee?”

“Oh, obviously,” Temari snorted. “Which is why I’m so worried about what would happen if Lee fucks it all up.”

“Listen, I don’t know Gaara like you do,” Shikamaru reasoned. “But I’ve had to spend the last month listening to Ino screeching about how annoying it is that Lee is baby stepping his way through this. I think he’s caught on.”

“I don’t know,” Temari mumbled.

“Well, how about we check on them part way through the night. I have inside information. I know where they’ll be.” Shikamaru offered.

“Fine,” Temari agreed. “But if they’re not where they’re supposed to be, I’m going looking for them.”

Kankuro, with his ear pressed to the inside of the bathroom door, breathed a sigh of relief.

“What are they saying?” Gaara hissed, attempting to repaint his eyelids for the eighth time with a shaking hand.

“They’re leaving,” Kankuro said, taking the brush out of Gaara’s hand. “You shouldn’t be so angry with Temari, by the way. She really is just trying to look out for you.

* * * * *

The next time there was a knock on the hotel room door, Kankuro answered it, eating ice cream straight out of the carton.

“Hey Lee, how’s it going?” he asked nonchalantly, fighting the urge to laugh. 

“It is going very well, thank you,” Lee replied earnestly. Then, as though reading from a script: “Good evening, Kankuro. How is your health?” 

“Uhhh, fine, I guess,” Kankuro moved back to let him into the room. “Gaara will just be a minute.”

“Excellent!” Lee exclaimed. He paused and then looked at Kankuro with wide, panic filled eyes. “I do not know what I am supposed to do now.”

“Relax, maybe?” Kankuro suggested. “You’re stressing me out, man. Why is this such a big deal anyway? You and Gaara hang out all the time.”

Before he could answer, Gaara emerged from the bathroom, started towards Lee and stopped dead in his tracks. “What happened to you?” 

Lee turned crimson. “Neji insisted on doing my hair. You do not like it?”

“I can see your forehead,” Gaara said, shocked.

“Ah, yes,” Lee mumbled, then seemed to collect himself. “You look beautiful.”

It was Gaara’s turn to turn bright red. Kankuro thought, rather uncharitably, that red hair, a red face, and red clothing was not a good look. 

“Thank you?” Gaara mumbled.

“This is for you,” Lee offered him the rose, and Gaara accepted it gingerly.

“Thank you,” he said again, wandering away to set the flower in a glass of water and place it on the windowsill. “It’s lovely.”

There was a moment’s pause, then Lee took a deep breath and asked, “Shall we go? We are going to a very nice restaurant and I think you will like it.”

“I’m sure I will,” Gaara replied. They stood awkwardly for what felt like long minutes, until Gaara reached out his hand, almost shyly, and Lee took it and led him out the door.

“Well,” Kankuro said to the empty room. “That was more second-hand awkwardness than any man should ever have to endure.” 

He switched on the tv and scrambled happily into bed with his tub of ice cream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please go take a look at [this artwork](https://flightlessdevotee.tumblr.com/post/629811209348186112/i-wanted-to-do-this-scene-from-the-question-on-his?is_related_post=1/) that Sadface drew of Lee picking up Gaara for their date!


	2. Jitters

If Lee had been left to plan this on his own, he probably would have chosen his favourite curry place or a dumpling shop, based on the food rather than the atmosphere. But Tenten had reserved a table for them on the rooftop patio of one of the village’s nicer restaurants, surrounded by colourful lanterns that slowly flared to life as the sun set. It was perfect; upscale enough that the staff weren’t flustered by Gaara’s presence, but not so fancy as to make Lee feel out of place, outdoors on a warm summer evening but away from the curious eyes of passers by, and the food was incredible.

The only problem was that neither of them had spoken since they had ordered. The walk over to the restaurant had passed in silence as well. Lee was beginning to sweat slightly.

Gaara stared at him across the table and rested his chin on his folded hands. “Why are you so quiet tonight? What did I do wrong?”

“What?” Lee fumbled as he attempted to pick up his cup, and narrowly avoided spilling tea into his lap.

“Normally, one of my favourite things about you is that you talk all the time,” Gaara explained. “I’ve missed you and was looking forward to it. Why aren’t you talking?”

Lee exhaled noisily and slumped in his seat. “Sai told me that I talk too much and it is not polite. He said I should listen instead and let you talk.”

Gaara leaned forward across the table. “Sai is an idiot,” he whispered. “Please talk to me.”

All the tension in Lee’s posture seemed to slip away and he grinned at Gaara. “Okay! Truthfully, I have been dying to tell you about this thing that happened last week while I was working on a new technique!”

Gaara smiled and motioned for him to continue. 

The rest of their meal passed quite pleasantly that way. Every time Lee neared the end of a story or had said all he wanted to say on a particular topic, he would hesitate, giving Gaara a chance to speak if he wanted to. Gaara told him a bit about his work and about life back in Suna, but mostly he just asked questions to keep Lee talking: 

_ Did Neji really say that to the Daimyo’s nephew? _

_ Did Naruto make up that story about drilling a hole in the ice to go swimming? _

_ So what did Tenten do when you and Neji finally managed to fish her out of the swamp? _

In a strange way, this didn’t feel any different from the many other times he had shared a meal with Lee. Despite the awkward start to the evening and the romantic atmosphere, this felt warm, comfortable, familiar. He no longer felt as flustered or self-conscious as he had expected to. Perhaps he wasn’t doing this right.

He looked around and noticed a couple at the other end of the patio with their hands clasped together in the centre of the table. It seemed impractical to hold someone else’s hand while trying to eat, but he liked the idea of having some sort of contact with Lee. He stretched his leg out under the table until the edge of his foot found Lee’s. Lee looked startled for only a moment, and then he grinned and kept talking, now more animated than ever, gesticulating with his chopsticks to illustrate his point. Gaara hid his mouth behind his hands so no one could see his face breaking into a wide grin. He knew that after all this time and all his efforts, his smile, the sight of his teeth, could still cause even full fledged jonin to panic. The last thing he wanted tonight was to be reminded of that.

“It really is a miraculous curry,” Lee was telling him earnestly as the waiter set another cup of tea in front of Gaara and a bowl of ice cream in front of Lee. “Although once, when I was sixteen, I ate so much of it in one sitting that by the next morning I had completely outgrown my suit. Upwards, not outwards. That was a very uncomfortable trip home, and I could not even change until I had delivered the mission report!”

Gaara laughed as Lee paused for a spoonful of ice cream. He bumped his foot gently against Gaara’s and grinned at him.

“Are you sure you do not want to order any of this? It is very good!”

“I could try some of yours,” Gaara suggested.

Lee’s whole face lit up. He scooped up a spoonful of ice cream and held it out in front of Gaara’s face. It took Gaara a few bewildered seconds to understand what Lee was trying to do.

Gaara had never liked ice cream. He found the sweetness cloying and the way it coated his tongue unpleasant. But he liked the two spots of bright pink that appeared on Lee’s cheeks when Gaara allowed him to place the spoon between his lips, and he especially enjoyed the way Lee smiled back at him with his eyes shining like that, so he only grimaced a tiny bit as he washed the sweetness down with another mouthful of bitter tea. 

* * * * *

". . . and then she asked me if I had managed to catch them, but I had no idea what she meant." Lee was explaining, as they turned away from the main street and began wandering down a deserted side road.

Gaara huffed out a tiny laugh and squeezed Lee’s hand. "How could you not know about that?"

"Gai-sensei said they were Eternal Rivals!" Lee cried indignantly. “I did not know that had any other meaning!”

"When did you figure it out?"

"There were a few clues. They were both giving me advice, trying to help me figure out how to tell you that I am in love with you, and Kakashi-sensei was always in Gai-sensei's apartment, in his pajamas, and I could tell he had not been wearing his mask until I got there. And all of his favourite books were on the nightstand. And then they gave me this  _ talk  _ about, you know,  _ things. . . _ " His face turned red as he let the sentence trail off.

"How do you say that so casually?" Gaara asked quietly.

"Say what?"

"That you're in. . .you know," Gaara turned his face away as though suddenly very interested in something on the other side of the street. "That you're in love with me."

Lee stopped walking and tugged on Gaara's hand until they stood facing each other. Gaara stared blankly at the pattern on Lee's scarf.

"Because it is the truth of how I feel," Lee explained. Gaara looked down at his shoes and chewed his lip. 

"Gaara," Lee gently tilted Gaara's chin up to look him in the eye. "You do not need to be worried. I know it is still difficult for you." His eyes flickered to the mark on Gaara's forehead.

Gaara frowned. "What if it never stops being difficult?"

"Then, that is okay."

Gaara grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "I need you to understand," he said urgently. "I feel the same way you do, it's just hard for me to say it."

"I know that," Lee soothed him.

"But if I don't say it enough, will you always know? Or will you start to doubt. . ?"

"Gaara, as long as I am the person you choose to stay up with you at night, the one you trust to have your back on a dangerous mission, the first person you run to when you need help, I will always know," Lee whispered, stroking the soft skin beneath Gaara’s jaw with his thumb. He laughed suddenly,  "Here you are, walking around a foreign ninja village with just that tiny gourd and no armour, and you think I could doubt that you are in love with me?"

Gaara smiled up at him, that rare, true, unguarded smile, and Lee found himself starting to lean in towards him, drawn towards that smile like a moth to a candle flame. 

"I am," Gaara whispered, tilting his face up towards Lee’s.

Lee had just opened his mouth to ask the question, Gaara’s face so close that tea scented breath gusted across his lips, when a loud cough startled them both.

They jumped away from each other as though electrocuted. Lee's heart was hammering so hard inside his chest that it was beginning to make him nauseous.

Temari was standing before them, leaning far too casually against her half opened fan. Lee imagined that he could see the fires of hell raging in her eyes. 

"Oh, Gaara, Lee, what a surprise to run into you here!" she said with unconvincing brightness. 

Shikamaru looked like he wanted the cobblestones to swallow him. Gaara crossed his arms and turned to meet his sister's eyes, expression carefully blank. 

"Temari," he said, a definite note of warning in his voice. "We talked about this."

“Yes,” she agreed acidly. “We have.”

The only sound was the wind rushing around the buildings, the soft buzz and pop of the streetlights. Gaara and Temari continued to glare at one another.

“Lee,” Temari finally said. “I’d like to have a quick word with you. Now.”

“No.” Gaara replied flatly.

“Gaara, it is okay, really.” Lee reached out to let his hand rest on Gaara’s back for the briefest moment.

Gaara said nothing, so Lee stepped towards Temari. She snapped her fan shut and drew him along the street by his elbow until they were out of earshot.

“Do I even need to tell you what I’ll do to you if you hurt my brother?” Temari hissed.

“No,” Lee declared. “I would never hurt him!”

“I don’t care if it’s unintentional, I’ll rip you apart,” Temari snarled.

“When Gaara and I first became good friends,” Lee said slowly. “Neji and Tenten felt the way you do now. They are protective of me, as though I were their own brother. Did Gaara ever tell you what they said to him?”

“No.” Temari was visibly taken aback.

“They made an appointment to see him in his office alone during a visit to Suna, and they told him that if he ever hurt me again, you know, like the Chunin exam when I was thirteen, they would kill him.”

“They couldn’t possibly - “ Temari started, but Lee held up one hand.

“They knew that and he knew that,” Lee explained. “But he told them that if something like that were to ever happen again, he would want them to kill him. He would not put up a fight.”

Temari sucked in a breath through her teeth. “That is because he still believed himself a monster who would hurt people without thinking or meaning to.”

“Yes,” Lee said. “And we both know that he is not, so we know that their threat is empty and there is no need for the deal they made. But Temari, I would like to make the same deal with you. If I ever hurt Gaara, even unintentionally, then I would very much like for you to kill me.”

“Lee, that is literally the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” Temari protested. “And I live with Kankuro. The bar is set pretty damn high.”

“If you do not intend to kill me, then what is it you really came here to say to me?” Lee asked quietly, eyebrows drawn down into an expression of deep seriousness.

Temari scrutinized him for a long moment, then seemed to reach a decision. “Just be careful with him, okay. I know you’re not extremely experienced either, but all of this is new to him, and he hides how much his feelings scare him. You’ve seen how poorly he thinks of himself, and I worry he’ll agree to things that he’s not really ready for, or that he won’t set any boundaries with you, just because he’d be afraid that if he didn’t do whatever you want, you wouldn’t be interested in him anymore.”

Lee reeled back like he’d been slapped, an expression of horror on his face. He glanced back and forth from Gaara, standing next to Shikamaru and still glaring daggers at his sister’s back, to Temari herself.

“What should I do?” He asked her, tears starting to gather in his eyes.

“Hey, relax,” she commanded. “I’m just asking you to take it easy. Be careful with him.”

“You have my word,” Lee breathed, snapping into a salute with one hand and a thumbs up with the other.

“I’ll be watching you,” Temari warned. “Now get out of here.”

Lee hurried back to Gaara and Shikamaru sauntered towards Temari, pretending to look bored.

“You good?” he asked.

“Yeah, I am,” she decided, taking his arm. “Between you and me, I’m glad it’s him and not anybody else.”

* * * * *

“That’s a lot of stairs,” Gaara said slowly, looking up at the chins of the past Hokages looming above them.

“Yes, but the view from the top is incredible,” Lee enthused. “You can see the whole village.”

“Alright then.” The corner of Gaara’s mouth quirked upwards into a tiny half-smile and he hopped up onto the railing.

“What are you doing?” Lee wondered.

“I wonder if you can keep up,” Gaara said quietly. Sand coalesced around him, creating a platform between him and the railing and he began gliding upward. He sat with his legs crossed neatly, hands folded on his knees, smiling serenely as Lee jogged up the stairs next to him, laughing breathlessly.

When they reached the top, Lee grabbed his hand and led him to a spot just behind the carving of the Second Hokage’s head. Beneath them, the lights of the village twinkled like stars.

“I am so happy that you are here with me” Lee turned to beam at him, seemingly not even winded by his run up the stairs.

Gaara smiled and turned away to pluck a sprig of bright blue forget-me-not that was growing near the edge of the cliff. He threaded it through a buttonhole just below Lee's collar, the backs of his fingers brushing across his collarbone beneath his shirt. 

“I’m happy too,” he murmured, his hands drifting across Lee’s chest, smoothing imaginary wrinkles out of his shirt. He stepped closer and Lee twined his arms around Gaara’s waist.

“I just still cannot believe this is actually happening,” Lee blurted out. “I mean, we are on a real date!”

“Why do you sound so surprised?” Gaara wondered.

“It is just that you have been on my mind for so long, for years actually, and I never imagined that you would think about me the same way,” Lee admitted.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Gaara asked.

“I do not know, I just never thought I could be so lucky,” Lee shrugged. 

“That’s stupid.” Gaara shook his head and smiled. “If anything, I’m the lucky one.”

He leaned closer to Lee until their chests brushed together. Lee’s arms tightened around him and Gaara slid his hands up into Lee’s hair, tugging at the back of his head so that he would lean in closer.

The sand in the small gourd hanging from his belt made a loud rushing sound and Gaara let out a frustrated sigh, dropping his head against Lee’s shoulder. “How does time pass so fast when I’m with you?”

“What is wrong?”

“I promised Kankuro and Temari I would be home by eleven since we’re leaving early,” Gaara groaned. “And it’s eleven now.”

Lee’s face fell. “Oh, I see.” 

He thought briefly about refusing to acknowledge the curfew, about spiriting Gaara away and wandering the village with him all night. Then he remembered his earlier conversation with Temari and put those thoughts aside. Boundaries, after all, were important.

“Let me walk you home,” Gaara offered.

Lee shook his head vigorously. “Not a chance! You are the Kazekage and a guest here, I cannot leave you to wander the village alone!”

“I’m not going to wander, I’ll use the sand teleportation jutsu to go straight to my room,” Gaara protested.

“But I am supposed to walk  _ you  _ home,” Lee insisted.

Gaara looked skeptical. “Is this more of Sai’s nonsense?”

“Well, yes.”

“That settles it then. I’m walking you home.” He took Lee by the hand and led him back down the stairs, walking this time instead of sliding down the railing. The walk passed in silence, the air between them seeming to grow heavy. As soon as Lee caught sight of his apartment building at the end of the street he began to panic. 

He heard Sai’s voice again, mocking him,  _ we forgot about something important!  _ He had mere moments left and then Gaara would be gone. It was now or never. But then he remembered Neji saying,  _ Only one rule, ask first,  _ and Temari’s warning. He clenched his free hand into a fist until his fingernails dug into his palm through the fabric of his glove. It didn’t matter that he wanted so desperately to kiss Gaara that he knew he would lie awake all night thinking about it, or that missing his chance would torment him after Gaara left. If he asked, and Gaara felt pressured to agree, Lee could never forgive himself. Besides, it would be his first kiss, Gaara’s first kiss. It had to be romantic. It had to be  _ perfect.  _ Lee breathed deeply in through his nose and out through his mouth in an effort to remain calm. 

They paused in the courtyard and Lee felt suddenly sick at the idea of Gaara leaving, of being separated from him for an unknown length of time.

“I do not want you to go,” he blurted out, then quickly amended, “I mean, I understand that you have to go, but I still do not want you to.”

“I know,” Gaara said softly. “I want to take you with me. I know I can’t, but. . .”

He shuffled a little closer to Lee.

“Gaara, I have had the most wonderful night and I would really like to do this again soon.” Lee stumbled over the words as they rushed out of his mouth.

“We will,” Gaara assured him, stepping close enough that Lee could see his pulse fluttering at the base of his throat.

“Gaara,” Lee said desperately, lost for any other words. He didn’t know how to break away, couldn’t bring himself to say good night.

Gaara dropped Lee’s hand and seized the front of his shirt in a fierce grip, staring right into his eyes with an unwavering gaze. 

“I want you to kiss me.” It was almost a command.

“Oh,” Lee sighed, lightheaded with relief. “Okay.”

His hands trembled as he raised them to gently cup the sides of Gaara’s face. He leaned in.

“I’ve never done this before,” he whispered, suddenly self-conscious.

“Me neither,” Gaara whispered back.

“Okay, here goes.”

Gaara rose up to meet him and Lee leaned in the rest of the way to bring their mouths together, eyes fluttering shut. Lee was utterly lost to the sensation of unimaginably soft lips pressed so gently against his, and warm, sand-smoothed skin beneath his fingertips. Gaara’s hands relaxed their grip on the front of his shirt and slid up to rest on his shoulders 

They broke apart and each drew in a deep breath as though he had only just remembered how to. Lee felt a ridiculous smile spreading across his face but was powerless to stop it. He felt like he was floating several inches off the ground. Gaara was looking up at him with a strange, soft expression on his face that Lee had never seen before. 

Gaara smiled his special, secret smile that he seemed to keep just for Lee, and leaned his head against Lee’s shoulder for a moment before stepping back.

“Good night, Lee,” he whispered. There was a whirl of sand and he was gone. 

Still grinning like an absolute fool, Lee staggered up the stairs on shaking legs. He tried to open a locked door, realized it was not his apartment and moved to the correct one. He stumbled through, slumped against the doorframe and let himself sink to the floor in an untidy heap. There was a sudden flurry of noise and movement. The lights clicked on. It took Lee a moment to realize that his friends had been waiting in his apartment in the dark, peering through the drapes into the courtyard. 

“Lee! What’s the matter? Are you drunk?” Sakura asked, hurrying to his side and checking his pulse.

“No! I am just so happy!” Lee burst into tears, hiding his face in his hands. 

“Really?” Sai wrinkled his nose. “That didn’t look like anything special to me.”

“You’re supposed to move your mouth and stuff,” Ino chided.

Lee shook his head. “It was perfect.”

“So, we saw that last part,” Sakura said. “But what about the rest, Lee? Tell us everything!”

Hinata hurried over from the kitchenette with a plate of cookies while the others dragged him to the sofa. They all gathered around him, eyes wide and attentive.

“Start at the beginning,” Hinata insisted.

* * * * *

Temari and Kankuro were beginning to argue. 

“He said he’d be home by now,” Temari snapped.

“And he will be. Just give him a minute,” Kankuro insisted.

“But what if something’s happened? He doesn’t even have much sand!”

Just as she spoke, a dust devil appeared in the middle of the hotel room and coalesced into the form of their younger brother.

“Where have you been?” Temari began, but Gaara held up a silencing hand.

“Save it,” he said. “I’m not listening to you, I’m trying to make sure I remember it all perfectly.”

He tossed himself backwards onto his bed and stared blankly up at the ceiling.

“It was a good night then?” Kankuro ventured.

Gaara shushed him but nodded. Temari busied herself getting ready for bed, but occasionally studied Gaara out of the corner of her eye, anxious.

Finally he asked them, “Do you ever feel so happy that you worry your body can’t contain it all? Do you ever feel like you could just burst from it?”

His siblings exchanged shocked glances. Neither of them answered.

* * * * *

At dawn, Lee was waiting by the gate. They hadn’t talked about it, but Gaara knew he would be there.

“I’ll miss you,” Gaara said, though he really meant much more than that.

“See you soon,” Lee assured him, smiling brightly.

Gaara stepped in to wrap his arms around Lee one last time. Lee pressed his lips to Gaara’s forehead and whispered, “Love you,” into his hair.

“Love you, too,” Gaara mouthed against the front of Lee’s vest. It didn’t matter if Lee couldn’t hear him. Lee knew.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I would love to hear what you think, and you are always welcome to come visit me on [Tumblr!](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lilac-writes/)


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